Eritrea in 1993

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Eritrea, formerly the northernmost region of Ethiopia, became independent on May 24, 1993, after a referendum on April 23-25 had produced an overwhelming majority for independence. This was the culmination of a process under way since the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) had seized the capital, Asmera, in May 1991 and of a conflict that had first broken out in 1961. Some 1,018,000 voters were registered for the referendum, of whom 800,000 were in Eritrea itself, 150,000 in The Sudan, 40,000 in Ethiopia, and 28,000 in the U.S. Voting took place amid widespread celebration; 98.2% of those eligible went to the polls, and no fewer than 99.8% of them voted for independence; there was no organized campaign for a "no" vote, and only 1,882 votes were cast against independence. The vote was monitored by large numbers of observers from the UN, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), and various countries.

At independence the previous provisional government of Eritrea was replaced by a transitional government that was to remain in office for four years, pending the promulgation of a constitution. In effect, therefore, power remained in the hands of the EPLF, and the introduction of any multiparty political system was postponed. With the addition of 60 more members, 11 of whom had to be women, the Central Committee of the EPLF was transformed into a National Assembly. EPLF leader Isaias Afwerki was elected president by the National Assembly and installed a 24-member State Council, which was composed of equal numbers of Christian and Muslim members.

Independence was recognized by Ethiopia and other countries, and Eritrea was admitted to the UN and the OAU. At the OAU summit in June, however, Isaias bitterly criticized the organization, which had long upheld the sanctity of African nations’ existing frontiers and thus legitimized Ethiopian control of Eritrea.

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country of the Horn of Africa, located on the Red Sea. Eritrea’s coastal location has long been important in its history and culture—a fact reflected in its name, which is an Italianized version of Mare Erythraeum, Latin for “Red Sea.” The Red Sea was the route by which...